27 Things I Love about St Pete, Florida

About 10 years ago my mom and step-dad moved down to St Petersburg, Florida from West Virginia, where they’d lived for about a decade. Their move completely transformed my visits back to the US.

Although I grew up in the States, I had little to do with Florida until their relocation. As a kid I’d traveled around Florida one summer with my family during a summer-long road trip. In later years my brother moved to St Pete, so I’d visited him a couple times. But that was it.

After my parents moved to St Pete, I was able to really explore the area and get to know this amazing little city. I quickly came to love it immensely and now I always eagerly anticipate my visits home .

When I recently reflected on all the fantastic things I love about this town, I came up with so many that I’ve organized them into topics: Nature, Cultural/Arts, Historical/Cultural, Lifestyle, and Miscellaneous Attractions.

Without further ado, here are the many reasons I adore St Petersburg, Florida.

Nature

1. Florida weather

Florida has beautiful weather nearly all year long, punctuated by lots of sun. True to its nickname ‘The Sunshine State’, Florida averages about 320 days of sunshine per year.

There are also a series of wonderful, dramatic thunderstorms during 1-2 months in spring/early summer. And while hurricanes do hit Florida regularly, they very rarely hit St Petersburg. Each year, one or two hurricanes seriously threaten to hit St Pete, but they always seem to veer away at the last minute and swing inland.

As for temperatures, Florida provides gorgeous typcial spring and summer temps all year round. The only ‘bad’ months are June or July through August, when it becomes stiflingly, steamy hot & humid.

2. Stunning subtropical vegetation

Technically, Florida has a subtropical climate. This allows a huge diversity of gorgeous trees, shrubs, flowers and other plants to thrive. On the gardeners’ scale of temperature zones, most of Florida is in Zones 8 & 9.

Colorful flowers are in bloom, even in winter. Citrus trees burst with oranges, tangerines and kumquats. A whole slew of bromeliads, cycads, palms, succulents, and cool palm-like bushes, which are not seen elsewhere in the USA, show off their amazing shapes, textures and diverse shades of green in Florida. It all looks rather exotic and lush.

3. Massive centuries’ old trees

All over St Pete, in residential neighborhoods, small parks and even downtown, there are these massive towering trees. They include both pine trees and several species of deciduous trees.

Many are adorned with huge gobs and clusters of long spongy Spanish moss tendrils hanging down in long, long strands. I fondly refer to them as ‘Georgia Trees’ because I first laid eyes on those impressive trees in the state of Georgia (on the aformentioned childhood family road trip). I can never decide which I love most- the stately towering pines or the unusual ‘Georgia Trees’.

These trees are really old. One century or even several centuries old. They were around before our parents were born, even our grandparents were born.

If you stop to think about it, there aren’t many places in the USA, nor in the world, now where you get to see such huge old trees. They are a real treat in St Pete.

4. Palm trees

There are over 2500 species of palm trees in the world. They range in size from just one foot up to 30+ feet tall. Hundreds of those palm species thrive in Florida.

St Pete is filled with all sorts of gorgeous palms. They’re seen everywhere: in gardens, parks, beaches, landscaping and in the wild.

Perhaps no other plant evokes feelings of tropical vacations, elegance & luxury and exotic locales than palms. So it’s always a pleasure to be surrounded by these gorgeous trees.

5. Beautiful landscaped gardens

Due to the great abundance of plant species that flourish in Florida, and to the great wealth of many St Pete residents, there are hundreds of spectacular landscaped gardens around this city.

Probably the most glorious private home gardens are found at upscale Snell Isle residential area. But beautifully landscaped gardens are also scattered throughout many of St Pete’s other residential neighborhoods.

To my great fortune, my parents also have beautiful landscaped gardens surrounding their house. So every time I visit, I have the great pleasure of working on their gardens.

Since they’re not very keen on gardening themselves, I always have massive gardening projects to attend to, which suits me just fine. Being outdoors, surrounded by nature, working directly with plants is just awesome.

6. Beaches

Needless to say, there are lots of beaches in & around St Pete. There are even two tiny beaches situated right downtown along the waterfront. But I was surprised to learn that the outskirts of St Pete have some of the most stunning beaches in this region of Florida.

The many miles-long beaches feature super-fine powdery-white sand, speckled with delicate shells. While some beaches are backed by ugly 1950s & 60s-era hotels and commercialism, many stretches of beach are backed solely by low dunes and/or small pine forests. The most ‘au naturale’ beaches are located in protected state parks, such as Fort De Soto State Park.

7. Abundant small parks

St Pete is dotted with small parks, many of them set around waterways of one sort or other. Most prominently are downtown’s 7-mile waterfront parks, which stretch along Tampa Bay, affording beautiful bay views. A few blocks inland are Mirror Lake Park and Crescent Lake Park, both set around large ponds.

Many, many other small parks are scattered througout the entire city. They’re filled with large shady trees, walking paths, landscaped gardens and usually some recreation facilities like tennis or playgrounds or skateparks.

One can barely go more than a few blocks anywhere in St Pete without bumping into one park or other.

8. Water, water, everywhere

Most of Florida is flat and set at just a few feet above sea level. In addition, the land is composed of super-porous ‘Swiss cheese’ like limestone and the water table is very shallow.

St Pete is located on both Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, situated at the southern end of long narrow Pinellas Peninsula. Thus, the city is surrounded on three sides by sea water.

In addition, just west of St Pete, the great Intracoastal Waterway runs for miles between the peninsula and a series of long barrier islands, set just offshore in the Gulf.

The massive coastline provides a series of bays & inlets as well as mangrove-lined bayous and protected spots for yacht marinas.

Inland, St Pete is speckled with dozens of small ponds, springs and modest lakes. There are so many small bodies of water that in places roads have been constructed in circles around them, such as found on 49^th Street N between23rd and 25^th Avenues.

9. St Pete waterfront

Talking about abundant water, pretty parks and gorgeous sub-tropical vegetation, that all comes together at St Pete’s huge 7-mile-long waterfront, set right on Tampa Bay. A series of adjacent leafy parks stretch all the way from Alfred Whitted Airport and Dali Museum, down past two marinas and historic Vinoy Hotel on over to tranquil Coffee Pot Bayou, which stretches inland between upcale Snell Isla and equally regal Old Northeast Quarter.

Also along the way are St Petersburg Yacht Club, Museum of Modern Art, huge shady trees, landscaped gardens, tennis courts and swim center, two small sandy beaches, beach volleyball courts and wide grassy lawns.

The waterfront is one of St Pete’s most wonderful features.

Cultural / Arts

10. Huge & varied arts scene

Most people don’t know that St Petersburg has a huge & diverse arts scene, which is well supported and funded by several large art organizations. In the early 2000s St Pete was dubbed ‘The Best Mid-Sized City for the Arts’ for several years running.

In more recent years, other US cities have taken the title. But St Pete’s arts’ scene has continued flourishing and expanding ever since then.

Local artists specialize in a variety of arts, but predominant fields include glass art, pottery and painting. There are also excellent metal workers, sculptors, graphic artists, jewelers, photographers and other art mediums.

In addition, St Pete has several significant art museums, covering everything from sole artists to American handicrafts, indigenous art and more.

11. Salvador Dali Museum

This is my all-time favorite museum in St Pete. Housed in a super-cool, custom-designed modern building overlooking Tampa Bay, this museum has the largest collection of a single artist’s work in the world.

People travel to St Pete from all over the USA and the world specifically to visit Salvador Dali Museum. In fact, museum staff told me that about 50% of museum guests choose St Pete primarily to see the museum.

It’s a big deal. Not only for St Pete, but on a national and world scale, it’s a very prominent museum.

12. Duncan McClellan Glass Gallery

Duncan McClellan is a superb glass artist. And his sprawling, gallery complex is equally superb.

Duncan graciously showcases top glass artists from around the US and the world in his huge, beautiful galleries. There’s also a large lush garden with walkways, sitting areas and filled with stunning glass sculptures, vases and obects.

There’s a huge glass-blowing studio, where guest artists do demostrations and glass blowing classes are held. Several times a year, guest artists are invited to Duncan’s to give lectures, slide presentations and live demonstrations of their techniques.

13. Craftsman House

This wonderful gallery is housed in a historic Craftsman Bungalow (specific architectural design) on the edge of historic Kenwood district. Primarily the gallery showcases pottery from gifted American potters from around the USA. But there’s also a healthy dose of woodwork, fabric art, fine art, leather works and other types of art.

14. Chihuly Collection

Dale Chihuly, based in Seattle, is a world-renowned glass artist who makes absolutely mind-blowing glass art. He’s done huge glass installations in various countries around the world and teaches glass blowing at his huge studios in Seattle.

In downtown St Pete there’s a large collection of Chihuly’s work in this museum, called Chihuly Collection. It’s another one of my favorite museums in town.

15. Monthly Art Walks

The small boutiques and art galleries along Central Avenue in downtown St Pete have been providing this fun monthly event for well over a decade. The participating shops/galleries stay open during evening hours on the second Saturday of each month, often providing little snacks, beverages or other treats to visitors.

The general public are invited to wander the streets, pop into the shops & galleries, meet the owners & staff, socialize and generally have a merry time.

Historic Cultural

16. Vinoy Hotel

The Vinoy is one of my all-time favorite hotels. The grand luxury hotel was opened way back in 1925 during St Pete’s huge development & tourist boom. It’s beautifully located right on the waterfront and overlooking St Pete marina, which is usually filled with elegant sailing yachts.

Whenever I’m visiting family in St Pete, I make a point of stopping by The Vinoy a few times to admire the stunning grand lobby, to re-read chapters of the hotel’s long, illustrious history, and to enjoy views of the lush parks, marina and bay.

17. Kenwood neighborhood

Kenwood is a historic residential neighborhood close to downtown St Pete. It’s famed for its unique ‘Bungalow’ architectural style homes. They date to the 1920s-1950s and have all sorts of charming features such as clapboard wood frames & walls, front porches with thick columns, peaked roofs, attics with fancy cut-out wood pieces for air circulation.

Each home is uniquely designed and most are beautifully restored. Most also have beautiful landscaping.

Since I’m such a huge architecture fan, I love wandering along the brick streets of Kenwood, admiring the architecture and gardens. I’ve even had a glimpse inside a few of these charming homes, during a walking tour of Kenwood.

18. Old NE Quarter

Like Kenwood, the Old NE Quarter is a historic residential neighborhood that dates back to St Pete’s early history. Some Bungalow style houses are dotted around the neighborhood, but most of the homes are on a much larger, grander scale. This is where St Pete’s early aristocrats made their homes.

It’s a really large neighborhood that borders Coffee Pot Bayou and the waterfront. From there it stretches 10 blocks, all the way to over Vinoy Hotel, and also northward to 30^th avenue.

Many different architectural style homes’ show off their elegant & luxurious designs. Many of the streets are still brick, making things a bit bumpy but also very charming.

19. Historic walking Tours

St Pete Preservation Society offers weekly Saturday morning walking tours of various historic districts of St Pete from October through April. Each week of the month they provide a different tour.

One tour highlights the NE Quarter, another focuses on famous downtown historic buildings, another explores the waterfront region, another Kenwood. On occasion, they also do walking tours of Gulfport, a primarily-residential little beach town, situated just on the outskirts of St Pete.

I’ve joined most of their walking tours over the years. Some of the tours I’ve repeated one or two times more. I just love learning about the fascinating history of St Pete.

20. Other historic buildings

Besides the regal Vinoy Hotel and all the gorgeous historic homes, many other noteable historic buildings are scattered around downtown St Pete. Their cool and variable designs really spice up the mostly modern town area.

There’s America’s only outdoor post office, the elegant Crislip and Snell Arcades, historic Detroit Hotel, the Shuffleboard Club and Lawn Bowls Club, the Coliseum and Palladium Theaters, historic Mirror Lake Public Library (originally a Carnegie Library) and many other beautiful buildings.

Lifestyle

21. Year-round outdoor lifestyle

Due to Florida’s wonderful warm, sunny weather, it’s easy to spend lots of time outdoors. Since I’m particularly an outdoor-oriented gal, St Pete is a perfect location for me.

I can spend hours outdoors gardening, cycling, walking, visiting parks, lounging on beaches and taking my lunches along to enjoy picnics at all these wonderful natural places.

22. Quiet residential neighborhoods

My parents live in one of St Pete’s many super-quiet residential neighborhoods. I don’t know exactly why they’re always so darn quiet and always practically empty. Where are the people?

In my parents’ neighborhood, for example, I see a few people walking their dogs each day, one neighbor often working on his house & property, various weekly or monthly landscapers and the very-ocassional car drive by. There’s rarely a child to be seen or heard.

Generally the streets remain empty, the houses are silent and there’s nary a resident to be seen, even at their properties. It’s almost a ghost town.

Since I lloovvvvveveeeee quiet and detest loud noises, I think St Pete’s ultra-quiet neighborhoods are absolutely wonderful.

23. Pinellas Cycling trails system

The Pinellas Trail system got started back in the 1990s with a simple 5-mile trail. Since then it has continued expanding, adding many additional paved side-trails for cyclists and pedestrians. There are currently 54 miles of paved trails, with connections to even longer Florida cycling routes.

The trails stretch from St Pete northward all the way to Tarpon Springs. Trails also take cyclists to Gandy Bridge and Sunshine Skyway Bridge, where they can then pedal across Tampa Bay if they choose.

Trails also head westward to the many beaches, lakes, bayous and bays found on the Gulf side of St Pete.

As an avid cyclist, I really appreciate the Pinellas Trails and enjoy cycling here several times a week. I get to easily access beautiful Clam Bayou, Lake Maggiore, Sunset Beach, downtown St Pete’s waterfront, gorgeous Snell Isle and other great destinations.

24. Asian markets

Anyone who’s been following me on FB recently has noticed that I’ve really delved into cooking Japanese cuisine lately. I couldn’t have done it without the wonderful, well-stocked Asian markets here. I’ve been able to find all the ingredients I need to make authentic Japanese dishes at home.

Besides that, it’s a real nostalgic treat for me to wander the exotic-looking aisles of the Asian markets, after spending more than 20 years of my life in Japan and SE Asia. Whenever I peruse the shelves, freezers and fridges, I come across dozens of products, foods and sweets that I haven’t seen in years and had mostly forgotten about. It’s fun!

Since all these markets are owned by Vietnamese and Chinese immigrants to St Pete, their shops are expertly stocked with just about any kind of ingredient and foodstuff from China, Vietnam, Japan, Thailand and other Asian countries

25. Diverse restaurant scene

Nowadays in St Pete you can find just about any kind of international cuisine in the many restaurants here. Of course there are loads of Asian restaurants: Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai, Chinese as well as Indian and others.

Then there are Italian, Greek, French, Hungarian, Mexican, Cuban, Mediterranean, Peruvian, Spanish, Seafood, and on and on.

Miscellaneous Attractions

26. Snell Isle

Snell Isle is St Pete’s most upscale residential neighborhood. It’s situated just east of downtown, across an arched stone bridge that crosses Coffee Pot Bayou from the Old Northeaset Quarter. Snell Isle is, hand’s down, my favorite neighborhood in St Pete.

Unlike St Pete’s noteworthy historic neighborhoods that I mentioned above, Snell Isle is mostly full of more contemporary homes. Actually, mansions or estates would be a better way to describe the enormous, elegant & lavish residences of Snell Isle.

Mixed architectural styles include Mediterranean, Spanish colonial, Swiss-chalet, English estate, contemporary and other designs. Each home is unique and most are accented with stunning, immaculately-manicured landscaped gardens. Many properties are also set on the water, complete with their own private boat pier and yacht.

Considering how much I love architecture and landscaping, it’s no wonder that I love pedaling slowly through the curving streets, admiring all the luxurious beauty.

27. Skyway Bridge

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is one of the Tampa area’s main man-made ‘wonders’ and tourist attractions. The landmark bridge is both tremendously long and incredibly high, making it a real spectacle to drive across. It’s also the world’s longest cable-stay bridge.

The jaw-dropping bridge stretches across the mouth of huge Tampa Bay, for a total of 5.5 miles. The highest central bridge section soars 190 ft above the water. People Math a fear of heights could get seriously terrified way up there.

For those like myself who love heights, driving across this bridge is a wonderful thrill. I try to drive over once each time I visit family.

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